Home I'll Be

After our first day on the Cabot Trail, around our campfire, Parker wondered when we were going home. Life on the road in the RV was getting him down. He was hearing of things that his friends were doing at home. Parker has never been an excited traveller and I told him he was suffering from FOMO. We explained this to Abby and I told her that I was blissful in my JOMO (joy of missing out). Keith asked Abby what she was feeling and she said she just loves to be with her family. So adorable. Abby is my traveller, she would go to the ends of the earth with me if I asked her. We decided that one more day on the trail would suffice for us all and then we would head back home. That satisfied Parker and probably Keith too, who is always excited to get home. I'm always happy to be at home after travelling but my wanderlust is real. I will have to get more creative in my trip planning as my kids get older and they begin to want to stay home during the summer.

So the next morning we decided to do the trail clockwise.  We left while the kids were still sleeping again so we stopped at La Bloc Beach for breakfast. We have said that this was a highlight of the trip for us all. It was still relatively early and there was no one on the beach except for a few dog walkers. One lady with a dog saw us reading the information about the beach and mentioned that one of the men in the picture was her grandfather. She pointed up to a red cliff high above the beach and told us that land once belonged to her family. They don't own the land anymore because land was expropriated in order to build the national park. That was a sobering fact. We loved exploring Cape Breton Highlands National Park but learning that people's land and livelihoods were disrupted is never a good thing. She also explained that because they were French, her family didn't speak the language necessary to understand the consequences of giving up the land.

La Bloc Beach for breakfast

After breakfast we explored the beach. I love looking for sea glass and Parker and Abby worked on making an inukshuk on the deteriorating pier out in the ocean. We then set off for the Skyline Trail. This is one of the most popular hiking trails on Cape Breton due to the amazing cliffside views. Unfortunately some of the trail was closed due to the park's efforts to regenerate some types of vegetation in this area. We were still able to hike to the side of the cliff and take in the gorgeous views. The day was a little cloudy but it was still breathtaking to be at such heights with no barriers keeping you away from the dramatic headland cliff that overlooks the coast. We took a few pictures, had a snack and headed back. On one part of the trail there is a boardwalk. At one point I looked to the end of the boardwalk and saw a hiker wearing an Eastview sweatshirt. I knew for certain that this was going to be someone else that we knew. Sure enough, we met a family from Abby's basketball team. So crazy! Such a coincidence that not only do we meet on Cape Breton Island, but we meet on a hiking trail!

In the town of Cheticamp, I had noticed an interesting looking store where I wanted to stop - Lola's Hookers. It didn't take much convincing once Keith heard the name. Abby and I went in to have a look. I had seem some amazing hooked pieces the last few days and I decided that this is what I wanted to take home as a memory of Cape Breton. The store was bursting with hooked creations. Knowing that the impatient men of the family were waiting, we couldn't linger too long. We stayed long enough to learn that the art of hooking is a dying craft and one artist told us that several of their hookers had passed away just recently, some of them in their 90's. Not many people are taking up the craft due to the hard work and time that it takes. The pieces were absolutely breathtaking. When deciding which piece I was going to purchase, I found a piece that depicted some houses that looked like Jellybean houses from Newfoundland. Last summer, when we visited NL, I had found a painting of Jellybean houses and I didn't buy it and still think about it to this day. I had made my decision. Abby thought it might be fun to try hooking, so we also purchased a small dragonfly kit to see if we can do it. The lovely lady told us all about how to do it as she wrapped up our purchases. As we were leaving she exclaimed to us, 'Happy Hooking!' Thanks! We'll try our best!!!

We saw a moose!

Not sure how you can top hookers, but rounding out the highlights of this day on the Cabot Trail was a moose sighting and a great lunch at the Rusty Anchor restaurant in Pleasant Bay. We felt like we had seen a lot in 2 short days and everyone was satisfied enough to turn Maje around and head for home. It's a little sad to think that next year Parker wants to be working and these summer adventures will now be memories that we will look back upon with fondness. I don't regret a thing when it comes to the purchase of this RV in order to have 2 spectacular cross country adventures with my family. Is it a good idea to force your children into a mobile aluminum can for a month? Probably not, but I can assure you, the memories we have made in Maje will be stories my children will one day tell their children with love in their voices. I know this for sure.

Walk Through her Green Fields, Go Down to the Sea

The pictures we took absolutely do not do the beautiful views justice!

We got up bright and early the next day to head to Cape Breton Island. The kids were still sleeping but I was determined that the World’s Largest Lobster was in this town and we were going to see it before we left. Thanks to all who assured me that yes, it’s in Shediac. When you are trying to conserve your data, you miss being able to Google these things. The kids missed out seeing the lobster, but we got the picture! What a great claim to fame! Onward to Cape Breton!  

We made it to the island and our campsite without any issue - it was another great day weather-wise. We drove to North Sydney to get some groceries. I was trying to remember when my kids last had a piece of fruit, but then I remembered that we had orange juice. Perfect. Maybe some fruit at the grocery store would be a good idea though.

It's maybe hard to believe but I tend to bug Keith about going too fast in Maje or taking the corners on 2 wheels. This afternoon was my time to hear about my driving skills. Maje’s water tank was full of water and I think it’s neat to watch the water fly out of Maje when we turn a corner. I guess I took the corner too fast and things and people shifted in the motorhome, oops! Then we drove down to where the ferry leaves for Newfoundland and I was deep in thought. My mom had told me that when she was little they would travel to Newfoundland every summer to visit family. They would take the train to North Sydney from Toronto, then the ferry to Port aux Basques and then another train to Lewisporte and finally a boat to Moreton’s Harbour. What a trip that would be! Unfortunately, deep in thought, I missed a stop sign and slammed on the breaks almost in the middle of the intersection. Everything in Maje came out of cupboards and our very large water jug flew to the front of the motorhome and emptied all over my feet. I apologized and explained to my family what I had been thinking about – they didn’t think that was a legitimate excuse. Later, in the grocery store, I overheard Abby asking Keith if he was driving back to the campsite. Traitor! I'm the one keeping her safe from scurvy! In a huff, I finished the grocery shopping and went next door to the liquor store to stock up. Keith drove back to the KOA.

Later that night, we mapped out our drive the next day. I had done some research about the best way to see the Cabot Trail and we had some advice from people who had done it before. There are some who say that the best views are seen by driving clockwise around the trail, but just as many people suggest counterclock wise. We decided because we were on the side of the island close to St Ann’s, we’d start there and go counterclock wise on day one. It was a great choice. There are 2 choices on this side of the trail. You can take the Englishtown Ferry for a nominal fee and a short 2 minute ferry ride. Or you can take the longer route through St Ann’s. 

We opted to take the ferry and we stopped for breakfast at the Clucking Hen Café and Bakery. A great choice. Full from breakfast and stocked up with cinnamon buns, tea biscuits and brownies, we made our way up Cape Smokey, the first climb of the day. The sky was a brilliant blue and the views were better with every turn. My research had told me that Black Brook Beach was a good stop for the swimming and good views. As well, there is a fresh waterfall at the one end of the beach. 

Keith had pinkie promised Abby that he would go swimming and in our family, you can’t break a pinkie promise, so bathing suits were donned by 2 family members and we headed down to the beach. It wasn’t a hot day so I opted out of swimming but was enjoying the water at the edge. The waves were huge. I rolled up my leggings and continued on. A few steps down the beach I saw a familiar face coming toward me. What are the chances that you meet a teaching partner on a random beach on Cape Breton Island? Pretty good apparently. It most definitely is a small small world! 

After visiting for a bit, Abby still hadn’t forgotten Keith’s pinkie promise and in they went. We explored the beach some more and the waterfall. All the sand from the waves needed to be washed off before we headed back on the trail. Abby and Keith both had showers in Maje – the joys of travelling in your home!

I’m dedicating this blog post to all the embarrassing (and proud of it) moms out there. My poor kids. A little further down the road, we stopped in a gift shop. Still in my leggings from the beach, I was feeling a little itchy. I had rolled them up when they got wet. When I lifted them to scratch the itch, a pile of sand (literally a pile) fell out onto the floor! Now some people would just move on, but not me. And, it was actually too much sand to ignore. So in an embarrassing mom way, I exclaim: 'Oh, I’ve got sand in my pants!' Of course this was in the front of the entrance and the sales lady. She didn’t seem to mind and went to get her broom (yes, a broom was required). Many apologies and giggles as I try to explain that I had been at the beach and didn’t realize how sandy those waves were! Of course we had to buy something seeing as I just made her sweep her entrance. It was time to leave only after one more apology. I wonder if I was the funny story at that lady’s dinner table that night? It was definitely one of the stories at our lobster supper in Baddeck.

I've Got Sunshine!

We left Tadoussac in the pouring rain. It poured for the entire day and it just so happened that this was our big travel day. We felt very lucky that the good weather was continuing. It might as well rain if you have to drive all day. We needed to take the ferry from Saint Simeon to Riviere du Loup so we left early to make it on the 9:30 ferry rather than having to wait until midday. Some people take this ferry to see whales but that wasn’t going to happen on this trip. The fog was so thick you could barely see a few feet beyond the boat. 

Once in Riviere du Loup we connected to the TransCanada highway and headed into New Brunswick. Keith was tired of driving so I took over and plugged in my audio book for 5 hours of hard core driving. It was the BEST. My mother likes to watch the weather network when we travel and texted to inform us that there were tornado warnings in central New Brunswick. We drove through a few bad thunderstorms but no tornado sightings.

We pulled into Parlee Beach Provincial Park about dinner time and the rain was still coming down. Our campsite had turned into a lake and we decided sinking into a bog was not a good idea so we requested a different site. The new site, while surrounded by water, had a high area where Maje could sit. We spent the night inside, unwilling to brave the weather. The next morning, I opened my eyes and saw blue sky. We definitely have lucked out in the weather department. We came here for a beach day and it looked like that was going to work out for us. We decided to head into the town of Shediac on our bikes to see what we could see and get some groceries. I knew the world’s largest lobster was in town so that was on my to-do list. We didn’t end up find the largest lobster but we did find a pretty large chicken.

Not the World's Largest Lobster, but a pretty big chicken

Maybe I was mistaken?? As well, we found a great farmers market and a grocery store. Back at the campsite we packed up for the beach. When I go to the beach, it’s a whole day event. On our bikes, we had 4 folding chairs, an umbrella, 4 beach towels, water and snacks. We must’ve looked pretty special biking with all that gear, but who wants to drive 2 minutes to the beach and pay $13? Not the Desormeaux family! We drag our bikes and gear through the sand, set up camp.

Just as I’m happily thinking I could watch the waves forever, Keith looks at me with a look I’ve grown accustomed to, which means he’s bored. For real?? We just moved ½ of the motorhome contents to the beach for an hour! Keith bolts and the kids and I stay longer. Parker decides he needs to tan his white skin. Do I fight the sunscreen fight today? This is how sunscreen and parenting goes: there’s a time when you get the best sunscreen money can buy and apply it liberally and make your children wait the appropriate amount of time before they head into water. Then, you relent and purchase spray sunscreen but you still apply it and the waiting process is the same. Then, you allow them to spray themselves or each other. I’ve done the speeches and the cajoling and today I take a back seat to see how my parenting has fared. Parker proceeds to spray himself with a puff of sunscreen and falls asleep on his back. This was going to be goooood. I know this lesson is going to end in my favour. I close my eyes and listen to the sound of the surf. Abby found a hermit crab she named, Gary. She and Parker tried to convince me to let them keep him, but I was pretty sure that going to be a hard no from Keith. I convince them that Gary needs to remain a part of the ecosystem and back into the ocean Gary goes. We finally decide that we’ve had enough of the beach and Parker wants to know what we think of his ‘tan’. When you turn red on the beach you know it’s going to be a good burn. Parker’s plume of sunscreen means he is now striped like a candy cane. Awesome.

Later, during our seafood meal of salmon and cod, Parker informed us that the basketball family we saw in Quebec City was in our campground again. What are the chances??

After dinner, we got comfy to watch our favourite camping show, ‘Watch the Married Couples Back up Trailers into Campsites'. It’s our favourite. We are sure we’ve seen a few marriages dissolve this past week. Backing up a trailer can’t be done without something bad happening. I challenge you to back up a 30ft trailer with your significant other and see if I’m right or if I’m wrong. After the show was over (one couple gave up trying to get into their spot and went to a different site) we had a few games of cards and it was time for bed again. Next stop – Nova Scotia!

Baby Beluga in the Deep Blue Sea

Our next destination was Tadoussac, Quebec, on the north side of the St Lawrence River beside the Saguenay Fjord, one of the largest fjords in North America. This area was suggested to us by friends who came here last year for whale watching. This is our third time driving out East but our first time on the north side of the river. The drive was unbelievable. If you are driving out East, consider taking the north route. You can take a ferry across to Riviere du Loup to connect to New Brunswick. The south side is flat and not as scenic although you are driving most of the time with the river in your view. We never expected the north side to be so beautiful. The downhills are so steep they have runaway lanes and every 50kms there are areas for larger vehicles (including Maje) to pull over and check their brakes. These exist out west as well, but in Quebec it is the law for vehicles over 3 tonnes to pull into these lanes. Failing to do so means you can be pulled over and given a fine. There is a ferry which crosses the Saguenay Fjord, which you need to take in order to reach Tadoussac. The ferry runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and the wait is not long at all. We crossed 4 times during our 2 days in the area and did not wait longer than 5 minutes.

On the ferry

We stayed in the campground in Tadoussac which is at the top of a large hill overlooking the river. Some more fabulous views! We all loved this campground. Abby and Parker loved biking and the WiFi was the best – great reception right from our campsite! Our goal was to see some whales and there are many tour companies in the area. Early the next morning, we crossed the ferry to take a 2 hour zodiac tour. We got suited up for the cool temperatures and loaded into the zodiac. When we were seated, another tourist got aboard and quarters were tight, so he slid past the helm with the motor going. I guess he didn’t know what instruments did what and needed to lean on something to get by. Sure enough, he pushed on the throttle, hard, trying to get to a seat. People were in the process of boarding the boat and the captain had to jump onto the boat, knocking people over people in order to take control and keep the zodiac from taking off. Seeing as the boat was in full throttle the zodiac shot forward taking the Desormeaux’s and the dock with it. It was a moment of chaos as we just sat there careening forward and then backwards while the captain tried to get control. Everyone spoke French so I’m not sure what was being said, but of course, I couldn’t contain my laughter and I’m sure they all thought I was an annoying, rude Englishwoman, but I couldn’t help myself. Once everyone was on board the captain gave his speech, in French, about where we were going, how long we would be, what kinds of whales we would see and some safety procedures. My super French skills picked up this information. In English, however, the captain simply said, “Enjoy your cruise”. This just made me laugh more, which was followed by, “Mom, you’re so annoying.”

I’ve been on one other whale watching tour in Newfoundland. We got a lot of interesting information on the tour in Newfoundland, but we definitely saw more whales on this trip. Being in a zodiac helped and Tadoussac is one of the best places in the world to whale watch. Tadoussac sits at the mouth of the freshwater Saguenay River and the salty St Lawrence River. Three undersea currents meet here and cause an abundance of plankton and other whale food, which in turn attracts the whales. On this day, we saw belugas, fin whales and I think a baleen that came out of the water and turned over. I didn't want to ask the captain in case he was upset with my annoying behaviour.

Very cool that we saw belugas

After returning to the campsite we decided to explore the river side town of Tadoussac. This is quite the tourist town with lots of hotels, inns and bed and breakfasts. Many restaurants and stores are found here as well. The family wanted to bike down to the town, but I decided against it, I wanted to shop and didn’t want to worry about my bike. So off they went on the bikes and I set out on foot. It was a steep walk! I was sure that Abby wouldn’t be biking up it and I wasn’t even looking forward to walking it. I made a stop in the liquor store as my Smashed Tea supply was getting a little low. Keith had been asking me to let him try it and I kept changing the subject. I decided to stock up on some Bud Light Orange so maybe he would forget about my tea. Of course, no Smashed Tea this far away from Georgian Bay, but I picked up some Twisted Tea which doesn’t exactly compare to my fav but I was starting to get desperate. I found my biker family and it was decided that Keith and Parker would bike up the hill to the campsite, unhook all the lines and come and get the girls in the RV. So off they went and I told Parker to take it easy on his dad. Abby and I waited at the town dock and ate some salt water taffy, hoping that Keith would climb the hill without too much trouble. Parker climbed the hill with no issue. Keith didn’t fare as well but Abby and I told him, at least he tried. I gave him his Bud Light and that seemed to make things ok. It was an early bedtime that night after a quick campfire. Another adventurous day done.

Loved this old hotel. It reminded me of Kellerman's from Dirty Dancing.

Vieux-Quebec!

Leaving Ottawa, we were headed to Quebec City, another short drive. In just under 4 hours we were checked into the KOA just outside of the city. KOA's are great, you always know what you are getting because they are all pretty much the same. The bikes were quickly unloaded and the kids and I were headed to the pool! When Keith joined us, he mentioned that he thought he recognized our neighbours who were camping next door to us. Sure enough it was a Royals Basketball family from Barrie who were on their way to PEI - such a small world!

The reason for stopping here was to show the kids Old Quebec City and the KOA provided a shuttle into the city. These are things you need to think about when you are in an RV - how are you going to get around once you reach your destination? Taking a 30ft RV around the cobblestone streets of an old town is not something even we are willing to do.

So early the next morning we were up ready to catch the bus into Old Quebec. It was about a 20 minute drive but our shuttle had a few (!) stops to make and 2 short hours later we were ready to explore the old city on the St Lawrence. Poor Keith, I knew he'd much rather be floating in his boat, but here he was surrounded by tourists in the blazing heat ready to sightsee. What a good man. Abby was demanding bagels and crepes but we held off and did a tour of the Citadelle before heading into the chaos. 310 stairs later and we were on top of the Plains of Abraham. My history knowledge was challenged to explain this to the kids, but I think they got the most important details. What my high school history brain didn't recall was that July 3rd is the Anniversary of the Founding of Quebec City.  Lucky us! Back from the Citadelle and after Abby's crepe, we happened upon a parade of sorts leading to City Hall. Keith could take comfort in knowing that he probably wasn't the sweatiest guy in the city. I'm not sure how these guys weren't fainting from the heat.

Happy Founding of Quebec City Day!

Aw!

After lots of souvenir stores, a few purchases, a nice lunch in a sidewalk cafe, some ice cream and lots of heat, we were glad that our shuttle gave us the option to leave at 3pm or 6pm - we opted for 3pm thinking at least we'd be home around dinnertime!! The traffic was nuts due to the holiday and all 4 of us fell asleep as the bus lurched and stopped over and over and over. Back at the KOA we did not take long getting to the pool and the kids enjoyed the jumping pillow and biking all over and exploring. At our campfire that night, Parker wowed us all with his marshmallow tossing (and catching with his mouth) as well as his life hack where he used an aluminum can to cook a wiener. Multi talented, this kid...I on the other hand enjoyed some Smashed Tea and Keith had his Bud Light Orange. Abby was just happy that we were all enjoying the evening together.

Not sure why Parker insists on acting like a Wanker in every pic!

One of my purchases of the day was our new friend, Bergy. Call it a weak moment and yes, I fell for the tourist trap which exists in nearly every store in Old Quebec, but this guy is just so darn cute. He is now a fixture on our dashboard and no matter how grumpy Keith and I get or how much the kids fight, little Bergy keeps on grooving with his cute little wiggle, reminding us that we love Canada and that's why we are here. Bergy won't give up.

Bobble Head Bergy

The next morning we were packing up and getting ready to hit the road again and I began to take notice of things you say in a campgrounds that are not your usual conversation starters. Take for instance, these mutterings that were said as the morning went on and we watched RV's, trailers and 5th wheels roll out of the KOA:
Me: That's a big rig!
Keith: This will be good to watch them back up
Me: Look at the size of the storage section!
Abby: There's so many Rentals! Rookies!
Keith: We could totally pull a car
Parker: There's another Maje, but she's a ginger
And my favourite...
Random stranger to Keith: Can I have a look at your rack? (bike rack) Apparently our bike rack is something to be admired.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but should we be worried that this is happening in La Belle Province?

The Stompin Grounds of All My Friends and Me

The View From Our Bus Tour

Driving East is way less intense than West. We started enjoying our vacation on day one. The kids were amazed that in 5 hours we were at our first destination – Ottawa, with virtually no mishaps. No real mishaps anyway.

We weren't 5 minutes from our house and I happened to glance back behind my seat where Abby was getting comfortable in her spot on the couch. I saw a glimmer of yellow. 'Abby!' I hollered, 'Get OFF that pillow!' When packing up my classroom the day before I took home the pillow that had been in our calming tent for the ENTIRE year. The yellow pillow. Ugh! Every month or so, I told myself that I should take it home and wash/disinfect it, but always managed to forget. Every sick, tired, sad, sniffling, gastro-compromised kid for an entire year, sought refuge on the yellow pillow. Keith, who had been unpacking the van and repacking the RV thought I got a comfy pillow to put on our couch. Seriously that pillow needs to be in a hazmat bag. What to do with this huge, germ infested pillow? We ended up putting it under the bed in the back where we have a storage area. I'm not sure how well I'll sleep knowing that thing is underneath me. Maybe we'll use it to start a campfire. Other highlights from our short drive – Keith + Farmers Market = no Fun, I’m still thinking about the painted rock he talked me out of buying. And a moving bush at the side of the road is probably just a lady in green dress helping a turtle cross the street (time to update the glasses prescription).

Due to the lack of camping close to Ottawa’s city center, we had booked a hotel with a parking lot able to handle Maje. We took no time starting out on our bikes to explore the city. It seemed a little quiet and we were excited that the crowds would not be an issue (nice try). As the navigator, I really did not know where I was going, so asked the front desk person to help us out. I motioned to her,

-I’m going out this door and heading this way to get to the Parliament Buildings (motioning with my arms). 

-Yes – says front desk lady.

Off we went. Within minutes on the bikes, we were lost. Typical. The map that I thought I put in the knapsack was not there and we were a sweating, angry mess. Funny how our good moods vanished into thin air! Oh, and the crowds we thought were non-existent, were hiding in the Byward Market, where we had ended up. A few grumpy moments later and we had a new map and were making our way to the canal for real. People will think it’s funny that we missed the canal completely but we weren’t surprised! Once we got our bearings, we enjoyed biking the canal immensely. It wasn’t crowded at all. Ottawa is a gorgeous city and the weather was amazing. All our grumpiness started to melt away. Looking back, I’m not sure why I took directions from that front desk because when I asked about making tour reservations for the mint, she asked me what a mint was... She only clued in when I said money factory! Too funny.

The first day in Ottawa was rounded out by dinner at OCCO at the bottom of our hotel at Albert and Bay – (highly recommend) and a walk down to the Parliament Buildings, the War Memorial and the locks. 

Day two in Ottawa: Full on tourist mode. We were at the War Museum pretty much when it opened and it was a ghost town. I asked where the people were, but we didn’t mind. We had the place to ourselves, including a volunteer take us around LeBreton Galerie. He had a wealth of knowledge that could fill 4 years of high school history. I love learning this way and this man had such a passion for the subject, I could’ve listened to him all day. However, we had things to see and do! Every time I’m in a city I don’t know, I love to take a hop on hop off bus tour. I’ve even done one in Toronto – the amount info you find out is unbelievable. Luckily Ottawa has open air double decker bus tours and the kids were excited as well. So, from the War Museum, we hopped on and headed to the National Gallery and the Royal Canadian Mint. The mint guided tour (aka the Money Factory) was recommended to us and we all found it really interesting so I’m recommending you put it on your must do list when you visit Ottawa. Unfortunately, much to Abby’s disappointment, they don’t give free samples. We walked back through Major Hills Park to the hotel and another dinner at OCCO.

Day Three – July 1^{st -} Ottawa: Still in tourist mode. Abby and I had decided to spend the day in Major Hill's Park which is where the fireworks would take place. The boys couldn’t believe that we could spend a whole day in a park, but we did it. The boys came and went throughout the day. I had my book, Abby had her iPad, we had water, lots of food vendors and we were ready to lie under a tree and people watch. We saw a bunch of musicians, Tyler Shaw included. We both enjoyed it and the weather was great again. We started a small obsession with Gabriel Pizza which was a vendor in the park. Great pizza. 10 hours later... the fireworks started they were well worth the day long wait! Love that we spent our first stop and Canada Day in this wonderful city!

Parker aka Loverboy update: He’s doing great and seems to be into this Epic East Coast Adventure. He is constantly on the lookout for good insta pics and we are happy to oblige. The hotel had Wi-Fi, gb are all in check. I only got one stink eye when I asked the boys to join us in a photo booth. Things are good.

Seriously, Mom?

I’ve decided my fuel for this summer is Georgian Bay Smashed Tea. Oh, my goodness. You think you’re drinking iced tea, but you’re totally not. Such a nice way to unwind after a day of touristing. Georgian Bay Gin, I’m looking for a sponsor for my travel blog. I can share my love of Georgian Bay everywhere I go – call me.

Nectar of the Gods

Guess Who's Back?

Some people just never learn. The Desormeaux's are doing it again. We're a little older and a little wiser, but we are headed on another Canadian adventure with our beloved 30ft RV, Maje. I can't wait.

When we returned from our month long trip West during the summer of 2017, I knew I couldn't ask my kids to do another big trip right away. They needed to forget all the pitfalls of the open road and remember instead, all the fun we had and all the memories that we made. If you'd like to remember the good, the bad and the ugly, feel free to go back and take in the Desormeaux Cross Canada Adventure again. At the bottom of this post, simply click on older posts and it's all there.

A few days after we returned from that trip, I asked the kids what the highlights were. Just like I was done with driving, I was done with writing about driving as well. Thanks to my iPhone notes here are Abby's highlights:

-the Calgary Stampede (1st sno cone, the singing and dancing, fireworks, the actual stampede, barrel racing)
-Vancouver Island campground (Tofino)
-Lake Superior - it was really cold and I liked swimming in it
-Shopping in Jasper and the Bakery where we had to wait forever
-I like how you made fun of Daddy when he said 'Torfino"
-KOA with the huge pillow to jump on and the water slide
-Rainbow Falls campground when we had a campfire
-Going to Target
-Banff Mountains
-Calgary West Campground (staying there twice)

All great things, Abby! The same day she also told me that she didn't feel people were meant to drive as much as we drove, saying, 'It didn't feel right'. True story.

Parker on the other hand wasn't as descriptive but kind of mumbled his highlights:

-coming home
-ATVing
-Banff was really pretty
-I liked the trip, I liked it all

See? They've forgotten all the wrong turns, being hit twice, 2 flat tires on 2 separate occasions (but within 24hrs of each other), the fights, the swearing, the heat, the boredom of Montana...Despite all this, they now look back on that month in 2017 with fondness, enough fondness that no one has refused to come on the Desormeaux Epic East Coast Adventure. It's all part of my master plan. A week ago I asked each of them if they were excited to head out in Maje again. Abby told me she was VERY excited. 'Like so much mommy, like when I think about it, I get butterflies in my tummy. I love being together with my family and we are all together and playing cards and games and having campfires...' Awesome. Parker replied that yes, he was excited but, 'I really hope I don't run out of data...that would not be good.' Got it.

The addiction to wifi is real. As real as it was 2 years ago but for a different reason now. 2017 Parker was into Roman Atwood, YouTube videos of trick shots, Dude Perfect etc etc. He would literally shake thinking that he might have missed an uploaded video. I should've thanked my lucky stars. Silly, silly woman. 2019 Parker is in love and has just returned from the 'Drive In Goodbye Date' with the love of his life, Alexis. Now she might be reading this so I will say honestly, she is a lovely, lovely girl. It just makes for pretty dramatic foreshadowing when I think of my 13yr old, sad, lonely, grumpy son, in the middle of Nova Scotia with no data. We all will be watching our gb to make sure this doesn't happen.

There are a few differences on this trip. For one big thing, I'm not driving on my own. Driving out East is much less driving. There's no need to take a month to do what we are planning. This trip is 2 weeks long and Keith is taking the time to come with us. This means, flat tires, sewage issues and general maintenance is not all up to me, even though I know I can totally do it. Well, maybe I wouldn't be able to handle a sea of sewage like we encountered in Tofino (with Keith), but everything else - no problem. Again, click on the older posts, I can't make this up!

The most incredible thing that I realized after returning home, was that people were completely amazed that I even wanted to drive to Calgary and back with my 2 kids. Honestly, the second leg of the trip from the Manitoba border to Calgary was the most liberating, exhilarating experience I think I've ever had. We were still new to the adventure, a little jaded by some damn tires, but once we had new tires, we were rolling! Some of my fondest memories of the entire trip was the 3 nights we spent in the Prairies, just the three of us.

So here's the plan for the next 2 weeks. We are driving to Ottawa to spend July 1st in our nation's capital. Then, we are on to Quebec City for a few nights. After that we are headed to Tadoussac for some whale watching. After that we are off to Parlee Provincial Park and finally Cape Breton Island for a week. We are all packed and I'm pretty sure everyone is asleep, ready for an early start. Abby needed some melatonin because she was too excited. Parker wanted to leave tonight (good sign) and even contemplated sleeping in the RV (even better sign). Keith is looking forward to 2 weeks with his lovely family rather than his toilet snake and monkey wrench. He's grown to love the RV and has forgiven Maje for not being able to float on Georgian Bay. Me? I love the anticipation of adventure. I love seeing the world through my children's eyes. I cling to these moments when our kids are ours alone, to talk to, spend time with, connect with no outside distractions. The years are fleeting and I'm getting a glimpse of a time when my kids might refuse to come with me on these adventures. I'm going to savour this time and the memories that we'll make.

The Lost Blog

This should have been the first blog post from the road, but we all decided that we would wait until the end of the trip to share this one.

The more discerning reader will notice that the first entry didn't come until day three. Strange. Also I cryptically added some strange pics to my first post. Here's the story of our first 48hrs on the road.

Everything that was shared in the first post really happened. We spent Canada Day travelling north towards Lake Superior Provincial Park where we were booked to spend the night at Agawa Bay.

We pulled into the gas station in Pancake Bay. We would look around the trading post, called 'The Canadian Crafter' and fill up with gas. It was super busy. I was new to driving Maje and the first few days, I would get into places where I had difficulty getting out. It took a bit of maneuvering to get to the pump, but I managed. This is literally the dialogue that took place in the next 3 mins.

Gas Attendant: Oh jeez, you've got a tire that is really low, I'm going to get you to swing around and we'll fill it up and see how it is.
Me: Seriously? Oh no! Ok, I'll just fill up and then try and turn around.

BANG!

Me: Did you hear that?
Everyone in the RV: ?????
Random man walking by drinking from a bottle in a paper bag: Hey! Somebody hit you! Man! Your back door is really banged in, bummer that looks like a rental.
Me: (head in hands) It's not a rental, we own it.
Random man: Well that's good I guess.
Gas Attendant: Are you going to be able to turn around so the air hose will reach?
Me: Sure, I think I was just hit by someone
Gas Attendant: Oh no, ya looks like you've got a good dent back there
Random man: The guy just took off!
Me: Whatever

Like that literally took 3 minutes. So the nice gas boy filled up the tire and it seemed like it would only hold so much air. The tire got to a certain point and we'd hear this hissing noise and then it went back down to holding only so much air. We moved so that we were out of the way. There was another RV parked near us. I phoned CAA and found out that my coverage didn't cover RV's. Awesome. Why would someone sell me a membership for an RV that won't cover an RV? I was told that I could upgrade my membership but it would take 24hrs to take affect. I could feel myself starting to simmer. I checked in with Keith and he promptly called CAA to express his displeasure. Read: He went ape. The nice man decided to upgrade my membership immediately. We waited for a CAA driver to show up on Canada Day, in a remote area where there isn't even any gas stations. Needless to say we really got to know the Canadian Crafter and Trading Post.

In a last minute decision, I had convinced my brother, who had the first week of July off to join me for a few days so that I had some moral support with driving and hooking up Maje. I wasn't alone and I wasn't overly concerned. I knew that a tire was a small issue, we would get the spare put on and be on our way. We had a pretty good attitude about the whole thing. The kids spent their Desormeaux Dollars. My brother bought me a shot glass. haha, we'd have a couple of shots later! We people watched. We laughed good naturedly about our misfortune. We started to see the crowds dwindling and the workers starting to shut down the trading post. Still no CAA man. Probably 8pm by now. Waiting about 3 hours. Still laughing, still a good attitude. Come on, it's day 2! We got this!

CAA man arrives (He looks about 16): Dude! This is huge!
Me: Yes, it's an RV, 30ft.
CAA man: I can't fix this, I can't even tow it
Me: You didn't know it was an RV?
CAA man: No Dude, I didn't know, wow that's a huge one!
Me: So you can't change a tire?
CAA man: No, Man, you're gonna need a tow. I can't even do that, it's waaaay too big.
Me (starting to really simmer): So you can't fix it, you can't tow it, so that's it? What good is that?

What to do? Phone for a tow into Sault St Marie or try CAA again? Keith tells me to sit tight and he'd get back to me.

CAA man is very apologetic but I'm done with him so I tell him to go.

She was really FINE! I told her to look sad!

The Canadian Crafter was completely closed by this time. I went to the owner of the place and told him that we were probably going to be spending the night and would that be ok. He was such a great guy. He said no problem. Then we were completely alone except for one other RV in the parking lot. We assumed they were broken down as well, but we hadn't seen anyone go in or out all day.

We wait. Thankfully the kids were in heaven. They were scootering around the whole place and enjoying being there alone. They had some game going and they spent hours running, jumping and scootering. We wait.

11:30pm - The first call to CAA was at 4:30, but whatevs - A lovely, elderly man showed up in a Cal Tire truck. He was like an angel in the darkness. At pretty much the same time a heavy, misty fog started to roll into Pancake Bay. The lights of his truck were emphasized by the weather. He gets to work. This guy knows what he's doing. Tire off, rim off, valve stem replaced, valve stem tested. We are so happy.

In the middle of all this we looked up at one point and out of the mist we saw a strange, old man walking toward us. He was wearing leather slippers and a plaid flannel housecoat. He had a tiny dog on a leash. He leaned down face to face with Abby and said, 'Well, aren't you guys having quite the adventure?' Wide eyed Abby took a step back. This was the occupant of the RV that had been parked beside us. He continued, 'I've been asleep for 8 hours and I woke up to lights flashing in my bedroom.' For reals, I couldn't make this up! So at midnight in Pancake Bay with the rolling fog, we had quite the cast of characters. I start my inappropriate, ill-timed giggling. I had to walk away before I looked really rude.

The Cal Tire man finished up and then creepy housecoat man gets him to check his tire pressure!  More inappropriate giggling.

Finally, it was cleared up and I thanked Cal Tire man profusely and we were alone (somewhat) and got ready for bed. Creepy housecoat man told us we shouldn't venture out in the fog and we reluctantly agreed.

The owner of the Trading Post showed up at 5:30am as I was brewing coffee. Once we were all caffeinated, we were on our way. What a story! We were thankful that our upset was a relatively minor one. We continued to laugh as we headed to Wawa.

I had heard the new Wawa Goose had just been unveiled in the last week. Nothing like a new roadside attraction to get us excited. We pulled into the Wawa Welcome centre about 9:30am. We did the walk around, took some pictures, we bought a sticker. As we approached the RV, we see a lady standing on the passenger side:

Lady: I'm glad I saw you, I wanted to let you know that you've got a really low tire on this side.
Me: I'm sorry,... what?
Lady: Ya, you're gonna need some assistance I think.

This is the OTHER tire, the one that WASN'T low the day before. Again, we heard the hissing noise coming from the tire.
We were in Wawa, Sunday, the day after Canada Day. What were our chances? We see a repeat of last night replaying in our heads. It's not funny now. Strangely enough I had taken note of a garage as we came into Wawa. I started with CAA. They, again, did not sound promising. They started out by telling me that they don't service RV tires. Funny, they just serviced a tire less than 12 hours ago.

Gah! So done with you. Click. I looked up the local service centre. I knew they would be closed but thought they might have an emergency guy on call. I got a number for after hours service. When I talked to a human, he told me it would be $150 just for someone to come out and have a look. I did not care AT ALL. Come, please.

So I was sitting and crying, my kids were looking at me, unsure of what to do and my brother was pacing the parking lot. No amount of shot glasses was going to cheer me up. All the nice people who walked by felt like they should tell us we had a flat. Thanks.

Then we heard a knock on our door.

Me: Tell them we KNOW we have a FLAT! (I might have growled)
Parker opens the door and relays the message.

Guy: Uh, I'm the tire guy.
Me: (perking up) Tire Guy!

This guy REALLY knew what he was doing and he didn't have the fog or creepy flannel housecoat guy to slow him down. We also observed that he was completely unaffected by the swarming black flies, while the southerners (us) were going insane. He was a black fly whisperer. He was also a tire magician. He let me know that our issue is a common occurrence with tires that sit so much of the year. He told me that I probably would make it to Vancouver Island without issue, but I would probably need to get some new tires next year. He had me at probably. I knew that before I went much further I would be buying some new tires. I was taking no chances. I thanked him profusely and asked him for a receipt so that I could get reimbursed from CAA.

And then he said to me, 'I'm not going to charge you.' Was this guy for real?  He was serious. I asked him about the $150 to come out and assess and he said, 'Honestly, I was just sitting around playing video games.' My heart swelled and then I told him, if he didn't take my money I was going to jump on the back of his truck. That smartened him up. I was never so happy to part with money in my life.

About noon we were on the road again, shaking our heads and hoping our bad luck was over. We made it to Rainbow Falls that night and I checked in with my TBay angel who got me in contact with some reputable tire people. Thanks Kelly! Luckily one of the service centres she recommended was opened Monday (remember this was July 3rd and mostly everything was closed). On Monday afternoon, we were the happy owners of 2 new front tires.

So that's the whole story. I could not end this blog without giving a huge shout out to Cal Tire out of Sault St. Marie, Fountain Tire out of Wawa (ESPECIALLY the weekend/after hour guy) and finally, Fountain Tire in Thunder Bay. Just to show you how great they were, they also told me that my tires would probably last me for the trip, before I demanded that they be replaced. I deeply appreciated the honesty!

This couldn't have been the first blog entry. What a downer! We thought we would wait and not worry everyone with all our bad luck before we even left Ontario. We look back at it know and laugh. And the kids still say the night in the parking lot was one of the best memories of the whole trip. My best memory was drinking a whole bottle of wine as I watched the sunset over Lake Superior.

And I Would Drive 11,000 kms To You...

The star of the show was Maje!

During the excitement of leaving one month ago, I didn't set the trip counter on my odometer. I know before we left, Maje was at about 210,000. Tonight she is reading 221,482. So I'm going to say my kids and I have travelled 11,000 kms in the last month.

We are home!  I have 2 very excited children. They are amazed with all the space in our house!

The last day of travel was spent on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I wish I wasn't so tired and anxious to get home. I think out of the whole drive, that stretch was my favourite. The UP (that's what the 'Yoopers' call it) is my kind of place.  As my dad said when we got home, it's Muskoka before Muskoka got over populated. The UP is full of lovely small towns where time has stood still. The views of Lake Superior are amazing. The size of this lake is overwhelming. I plan to return to this area someday and spend more time. Definitely a hidden treasure!

Michigan's Upper Peninsula - Lake Superior's Vastness!

Yoopers call these Pasty's - I didn't love them but maybe it's a local thing

I appreciate all the kind comments and support for this blog. It started out as a way to record all the fun that we experienced along the way and has turned into a 'thing'. Keith was blown away when he returned home and was told by friends of friends how much they enjoy reading about our adventures.

As this is a personal blog, please forgive the following. This was a big adventure for us and I would like to acknowledge those who made it very special and memorable.

First and foremost I want to give a shout out to our amazing kids. I'm biased, yes, but I know that these 2 have been anxious to get home for close to a week now. There was very little complaining and they never said they regretted the trip. This was all for them and their willingness to follow me on a dream is something I will never forget. Parker and Abby: you are the best travel companions - open to spontaneity and adventure! I hope you look back on this month and know that I wanted you to have an experience. It came from a place of love and a love of travel. I hope you look forward to many travel adventures of your own and remember me.

I want to thank my super supportive husband, Keith. He knows me well enough to ask if I'm planning my next adventure. I'm taking the night off from travel planning! You are always supportive of my hair brained adventures. For this, I will love you to the end of my days. I know you love being home or being on the boat, but meeting us for the 2 weeks was a great family vacation and the highlight for the kids. They love you so much and missed you everyday. Thanks for being the backbone to the family and the best partner a girl could ask for!

Thanks to my brother, Stephen for coming on the first few days of our trip to make sure I was going to be ok. We were SO glad to have you aboard for those first few exciting days! You got us when we were brimming with excitement! 

Thanks to Nana Jojo for meeting us in Calgary and driving home with us. You got us on the tail end of the adventure when we were tired and sometimes grumpy. Your excitement got us excited to share Maje with you. We hope you had fun! I know the kids will always remember you being with us with fond memories and a few laughs.

I want to thank coffee for fuelling my mornings and wine for easing the stress of the day. I looked forward to you both on a daily basis. Keep up the great work.

Hats of to the truck drivers of the world. I don't know how you spend your days on the highways. It takes a special kind of person to drive for a living. I felt akin to you all these past few weeks. I tried to be respectful and give you space. Sometimes I even gave a little wave because I now know what it's like to do a long haul. It's ok that you didn't wave back, I'm not part of the club, I get it.

Here's a special shout out to the guys out there who did a double take when they saw me slide out of the RV (because I'm too short to step out). I know you were wondering where my husband was when I was filling up with gas or emptying out the sewage. My sundresses were meant to emphasize the fact that this was a walk in the park. Driving big things isn't just for dudes. Oh, if you want, I'll tell you how to keep your sewer hose smelling like fruit, just ask.

The other star, my amazing GPS welcomed us home with a heart!

Take Me Home, Country Roads

I actually didn't buy these...

We have travelled through 3 states in the last 2 days. Not too sure where we are or where we are going. I'm hoping that I'm getting closer to home each day but I'm not too sure. Jojo and I have had words about our destination tomorrow. I say book it to Sault St Marie and spend the night. She thinks that’s too long. I think I’ll give her a drink at lunch, wait til she falls asleep and just keep driving. She won’t know where she is when she wakes up. We’ll see.

Tonight we are at Hayward KOA in Wisconsin. It is literally in the middle of nowhere but it has EVERYTHING. I’m amazed at how much there is to do here. We tried to do it all in the few hours we have before bed. It got me thinking about how much I’ve changed my outlook on the trip. There’s beginning of July Allyson and end of July Allyson. She differs greatly.

wahoo! look at us! paying to use a bike!

Whee! This is so fun!

Worth every penny!

Americans think of everything!

At the beginning of July I was up every morning about 5:30am. I had my coffee, cleaned up and sat outside watching the sunrise and waiting for the kids to get up. It was blissful.

End of July me is rolling over at 6:30 for 2 more hours of sleep, then rushing to clean up from the night before, get something for breakfast and get on the road around 10am.

I bought these lovely candles at Canadian Tire at the beginning of June. They sat on my table for most of the month and I would sit at night with only them on, enjoying the evening. In contrast, tonight, those candles are shoved in a cupboard because they don’t fit on the table with all the electronics, cords, movies, food, wrappers…

At the beginning of July we would stop at truck stops and take advantage of fresh fruit and vegetables that were offered. We stopped at fruit stands and farmers markets. I even bought a hard-boiled egg at a truck stop and made sandwiches! I rocked the beginning of July.

Today this is what I bought to nourish my children: popsicles, milk, fruit roll ups, gum, chocolate bars (yes, plural), tostitos, instant oatmeal and queso (for you healthy people, queso is cheese in a jar and it isn’t refrigerated) Who buys queso? End of July me, that’s who. Jojo bought marshmallows and root beer. She knows how to woo her grandkids.

I was on a severely limited pop agenda at the beginning of July. The kids had very little pop for about 3 weeks. As mentioned above, we now have root beer (their fav) and yesterday I barely noticed when they had refills at Subway and then a large mason jar of pop at a truck stop. Yes, we had dinner at a truck stop.

Along with the pop, I decided that we were not going to snack on chips all July. Every morning I cut up veggies and put out dip for the long days in the RV. The kids actually didn’t complain and ate the vegetables and fruit no problem.  This morning, yes morning as in before noon, we stopped for gas and Abby followed Nana out of the store with her arms FILLED with Pringles. Apparently, there was a sale -  buy one get one free. Awesome.

Early July Allyson told the kids, ‘we don’t need to do all the tourist things that cost money. We are going to see awesome things and take pictures that we can look back at and remember.’ In the last 24hrs I’ve paid for bike rentals (while their bikes are still sitting on the back of the RV) firewood that didn’t even burn, water slide day passes at 4pm, jumping pillow day passes, ice cream, movies at Target…It goes on and on. Part of it is mother-guilt for making them sit in a hot RV for 9000kms in the past month.

We have taken lots of pictures and we do have lots of memories. Really, our spending and eating only just went off the rails in the past few days. I’m going to forgive myself and move on next week when we are home and life gets back to normal. I think if I’m totally honest it’s usually the end of July in a regular summer when I start sleeping in til 9am and the kids finally break me down and eat popsicles for breakfast. Is there anyone out there who will admit that the beginning of the summer we all have grandiose plans for how the summer will go and they differ to what reality brings us? Let’s all just crack open some queso and enjoy ourselves. It’s all going to be OK.

You know those cute pics of kids jumping in water? Here's our version!

Parker heard there was a s'more party!